The readership figures for Round 1 of IRS 2009 reveal that overall the readership of Hindi magazines has declined considerably. The No.1 Hindi magazine, Saras Salil, has recorded a 13 per cent dip in its readership, from 84.61 lakh readers in Round 2 2008 to 73.65 lakh readers in this round – a loss of 10.96 lakh readers. In fact, compared to last year’s R1 data, the magazine has seen a 24.7 per cent decline in readership – a loss of around 24 lakh readers.

The second most read Hindi magazine is India Today, with 54.56 lakh readers. It has seen a decline of 3.53 lakh readers from the last round.

Grihashobha’s readership figure is 53.59 lakh. The No.3 most read magazine’s readership has fallen by 29 per cent from the first round of 2008.

In the fourth position, Meri Saheli has lost 9 per cent readership over the last round and its current readership stands at 49.45 lakh.
At No.5 is Cricket Samrat, with a readership of 44.19 lakh, about 8 per cent less than what it garnered in the last round.

Monthly Pratiyogita Darpan, which is at No.6, commands a readership of 42.59 lakh.Grehlakshmi has seen a 7.7 per cent decline in readership over the last round. Currently, its readership is 39.83 lakh.

Champak is the eighth most read Hindi magazine, despite an 8.5 per cent decline in readership since the last round.

Sarita, too, witnessed a considerable drop of about 12 per cent in its readership figure. Currently, it commands 30.3 lakh readers.